The broad long-term goals of the research program are to gain hands-on experience and information on all phases of titanium casting technology, so that I will be able to launch myself into this very important materials research field which has been ignored in the U.S. The experience and knowledge gained on titanium casting in Japan will provide a basis for a research grant application to be made to NIH. Japanese technology in the use of titanium in dentistry is very advanced. Therefore, in addition to performing research at Kyoto University, information about state-of-the-art titanium casting technology for dental crowns and bridges will be gathered from other universities and industries in Japan. The specific aims of the proposed experimental projects are: 1) to examine the castability of pure titanium and Ti-6AI- 4V alloy; 2) to examine the microstructure and determine the hazardness of cast metals; 3) to investigate the surface layer of the cast formed by the reaction with the investment material; 4) to determine the internal porosity of cast metals; and 5) to evaluate the tensile strength of cast metals. The study will be performed for 3 different titanium alloys, using 4 types of titanium casting equipment with various investment materials.